Plucking You The Plumerai LJ Community's Journal (original) (raw)

| New CD | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 09:28pm 14/08/2009 | | | | | Been a long time.Plumerai - Electrical Mess (ep) is now available @ www.darushka-4.com The CD contains 2 brand new tracks, 1 remix by Radical9, 2 live tracks (recorded in Patras, Greece)1. Electrical Mess2. Die...Die Slowly3. Shapes & Trees (Sal Manlilla's Sick Mix)4. Blues & Greens (live)5. Shapes & Trees (live)Live tracks are only available on the physical CD.Digital downloads @ plumerai.bandcamp.com available soon on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic.-----------Visit Silber Media and check out Lost Kisses DVD - My Life is Sad & Funny. Darushka-4 was involved in the production. ----------- | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| Plumerai and The Brother Kite Split 7" | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 08:52am 07/05/2008 | | | | | New Split 7" of two of new england's premiere indie bands doing acoustic numbers.www.darushka-4.comwww.myspace.com/darushka4for more info and to order. | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| Hello Again | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 09:25am 23/09/2007 | | | | | Plumerai www.plumerai.com www.myspace.com/plumerai![](https://imgprx.livejournal.net/ecb19ab35053be1abf9fc3f8dab360cb91e4cc7a/r005zVPtzX-FeL7_tjtJnspVxYU00wX3FwjhEyPPOA9H5XOJR1y2iqoTpZGSzIQg6Z-rLW14viD5_-I21VzNKNvo9qCFieMZeBg9dHA4_SLFwNutPiNSjNXPphL3JQP8j6Tg8MEaUlfi8ZbOh5jq8A)We've just released a new cd. A melting pot of our influences from postpunk/shoegaze/some easterneuro flavors all as the backdrop for sultry and heartfelt voice of vocalist Elizabeth Ezell. The disc is titled 'Without Number' and you can get it via CDbaby www.cdbaby.com/plumerai3 or from Silber Records www.silbermedia.com or if it's mp3's you're looking for look for us on iTunes and soon eMusic.We'll also be hitting the road briefly starting next sat.Sat Sept. 29 - Zebulon Cafe, Brooklyn NY (8pm & FREE)Mon Oct 1 - Garfield Artworks, Pittsburgh PATue Oct. 2 - Martyr's, Chicago ILWed Oct 3 - The Elbow Room, Ypslianti MIThu Oct 4 - The Noise @ IMU Indiana University, Bloomington INSat Oct 6 - The Boot, Norfolk VASun Oct 7 - Tritone Bar, Philadelphia PAFri Nov 2 - The Church, Boston MASat Nov 3 - Schoolkids Records In-store, Chapel Hill NC (4:30pm)Sat Nov 3 - Duke Coffeehouse, Durham NC w/ David Bazan (Troika Festival)Sun Nov 4 - TrashBar, Brooklyn NY | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| Interview SHOW!!! STUFF!!! | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 07:56pm 30/09/2006 | | | | | There's a Silber Records special on www.collectivevoice.net features music and interviews w/ Plumerai and other Silber Artists. Can be heard on various Canadian Stations or you can just download a podcast from the site.Boston - Oct 8th w/ papercranes @ TT The Bears Cambridge MA www.ttthebears.comNew York - Oct 15th @ Fat Baby NYC www.fatbabynyc.comwww.plumerai.comwww.cdbaby.com/plumeraior download from iTUNES | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| Plumerai DC & Walls of Soundfest II | | | | 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| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 10:54pm 21/09/2006 | | | | | mood: anxious Friday Sept 22nd Staccato's (www.staccatodc.com) Washington, DCSaturday Sept 23rd Walls of Soundfest II @ Central Station Fredericksburg, VA www.myspace.com/wallsofsoundfestall day music fest celebrating shoegaze, dreampop, indie w/ Plumerai; Alcian Blue; A Place To Bury Strangers, The Offering & Much More (3 stages and plenty of bands)For more info & sounds visit our sites: www.plumerai.com www.myspace.com/plumerai www.cdbaby.com/plumerai “Taken from the theories of 17th century Swiss philosopher Rene Descartes, Res Cogitans translates roughly as "occurrence thorough consideration," an offshoot of the much more famous Descartes deduction: "I think, therefore I am." Zap forward four centuries to Boston, and occurrence finds its direction from Plumerai’s consideration. The four-piece’s latest EP is almost as thought-provoking as Swiss philosophy (but rest assured, much more thrilling) and defies labeling. That said, let’s give it shot: Res Cogitans is complicatedly ethereal, moving forward with a delicate grace that could only be supplied by Elizabeth Ezell’s equally flowing voice. While Plumerai only gives us a 4-song taste of what is to come, each song flows forward for about 5 minutes, moving from small beats to explosive climaxes, patiently transitioning the listener from emotion to emotion. "En Vole" ("Be Willing to Behold") drips with maturity and elegance, and with added spices of foreign influences, it’s hard to believe that such a sound came out of Boston. Anything but, "Linear" combines a bouncy beat with almost shoegaze touches, moving into "Illuminate," a mysterious orchestral ride that just goes to show anything can be expected from Plumerai. If they continue to put this much consideration and thought into their music, their new album should make quite a splash indeed.." - Music Emissons Webzine“....The songs are all stirring numbers, from the trampling, 7-minute rock number "Avernal" featuring an eastern European tinge to the Cure-cum-Sundays "Linear," a track that would have been famous on MTV's 120 Minutes. The song - which would make an ideal single, features Elizabeth Ezell's pining, straining vocals. Some would say that Beth Orton or Chan Marshall are both clearly in her class but her vocal draw comes without peer among pop contemporaries. Her lightning shudders are sexy deeply affecting the winking guitars, swinging beat, and by the end loses herself in the crashing mix…..Song craft becomes the star, backbones provided by Martin Newman's deeply reverb fed guitars and a rhythm section with the undercurrent of libidinous undulation. The result is a warm, enthralling sound……This Boston area quartet twines dreamy and uncommon strings, and ultimately their EP is a short, yet rewarding listen. That assessment is true from top to bottom of Res Cogitans, a taste -- a sample, a trifling of rock extraordinary, before it's done." - Kevchino.com Webzine“…“Avernal” opens the EP and is a delightfully dreamy creation, the drums gentile and inoffensive (until the last two minutes that is) mixed with soothing guitars, all complimenting the arousing, sultry voice of Elizabeth Ezell....."Linear” is a fine example of their influences hitting the mark perfectly, the catchy guitar work that is both pop and anti-pop simultaneously due to its melancholy feeling yet danceable beats......There is definitely a cabaret quality to Ezell’s vocals and throughout it suits the mood of the music perfectly as with “En Vole” a piece where even the accordion gets a little more prominence than before. It’s unsurprising however that the cabaret element is there as Res Cognitans was recorded live, copying to CD the true untouched elements of the band which makes for a much more interesting and powerful release than just another studio outing. With retro electro rock (et al) being the big fad that it is at the moment, Plumerai will certainly have to put the hours in to ensure they don’t fall victim of its ephemeral and superficial charms. Yet if the four tracks on Res Cognitan are anything to go by, they are miles ahead of the majority in both sound and concept already” – Left Hip webzine.“.....Res Cogitans is a four-song EP, but those four songs are so substantial and meaty, you're left both wanting more and feeling quite satisfied. I really, really dig the sexy singing style of Elizabeth Ezell. All four songs are interesting, and all of them are new favorites, but I really dig the seven-minute "Avernal" and the shimmery, should-be-a-hit "Illuminata." Great music, and hopefully the promises delivered here will be followed through next year with their forthcoming LP.” – Mundane Sounds Webzine“…Elizabeth Ezell is no fey chanteuse; her voice contains a snarling sensuality…at their core Plumerai have things figured pretty well out, especially when Ezell's shivering voice sidles up against "En Vole"'s sparse guitars and Parisian accordions, or the band weaves some chilled vibes and a John Barry-esque melody into "Illuminata"….really solid and eclectic -- seriously, who incorporates accordion into post-punk?” – Opus Zine.“What also makes Plumerai special is that each of the four songs present sound different. ‘Avernal’ has the most dark pop sounding elements and the song often times brings Trip Hop artists like Portishead, Massive Attack and The Third & The Mortal to mind. ‘Linear’ is definitely the most 80’s Goth/Rock/Pop influenced song, sounding almost like a lost song from The Cure’s mid-80’s work, while ‘Illuminata’ is similar with a groovy bass line, backing keyboards, and a really catchy chorus, but returns a bit more to the darker sounding approach. ‘En Vole’ is also rather different adding in an accordion to their unique dark pop rock sound. ... Plumerai delivers a real gem with their ‘Res Cogitans’ EP... ” – Lunar Hypnosis Webzine | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 09:54pm 17/08/2006 | | | | | Plumerai's new EP "res cogitans" is available now via Silber Records (www.silbermedia.com). Also available thru Get Nice Records (www.getnicerecords.com) "Illuminated" remixes net-release.“....The songs are all stirring numbers, from the trampling, 7-minute rock number "Avernal" featuring an eastern European tinge to the Cure-cum-Sundays "Linear," a track that would have been famous on MTV's 120 Minutes. The song - which would make an ideal single, features Elizabeth Ezell's pining, straining vocals. Some would say that Beth Orton or Chan Marshall are both clearly in her class but her vocal draw comes without peer among pop contemporaries. Her lightning shudders are sexy deeply affecting the winking guitars, swinging beat, and by the end loses herself in the crashing mix…..Song craft becomes the star, backbones provided by Martin Newman's deeply reverb fed guitars and a rhythm section with the undercurrent of libidinous undulation. The result is a warm, enthralling sound……This Boston area quartet twines dreamy and uncommon strings, and ultimately their EP is a short, yet rewarding listen. That assessment is true from top to bottom of Res Cogitans, a taste -- a sample, a trifling of rock extraordinary, before it's done." - Kevchino.com Webzine“…Elizabeth Ezell is no fey chanteuse; her voice contains a snarling sensuality…at their core Plumerai have things figured pretty well out, especially when Ezell's shivering voice sidles up against "En Vole"'s sparse guitars and Parisian accordions, or the band weaves some chilled vibes and a John Barry-esque melody into "Illuminata"….really solid and eclectic -- seriously, who incorporates accordion into post-punk?” – Opus Zine.“…Plumerai delivers a real gem with their ‘Res Cogitans’ EP” – Lunar Hypnosis Webzinewww.plumerai.comwww.myspace.com/plumerai | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| BIll's Bar Sat Night. | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 12:54pm 07/07/2006 | | | | | http://www.plumerai.com for a flyer and more infoPLUMERAI CABIRIA CHARLENEBill's Bar5.5 Lansdowne St.Boston, MA9pm 21+ $8from silber records: I’ll go ahead & give away that the name Plumerai comes from a french lullaby about depluming a bird. Plumerai is post-pop band from Boston. Equally influenced by 80’s punk (The Misfits, Minor Threat), early 90’s british alternative (The Cure, Cranes, PJ Harvey), & modern art-rock (Radiohead, Gogol Bordello); the results are shoegazing guitars, Patti Smith style vocals, tight drumming, & driving bass lines – everything you could want from pop oriented music. Despite the fact that they put out their first album nearly two years ago, res cogitans marks their true debut. After several line-up changes in the past two years, the band has become solid & tight after a few short tours consisting of Elizabeth Ezell (vocals), Todd Richards (drums), & brothers Martin Newman (guitars & keyboards) & James Newman (bass). Ezell brings sultry vocals to the mix in a genre populated by sweet sounding singers. Richards gives us drums that swing rather than becoming mechanical back beats. Martin Newman provides the heavily reverbed guitars around which the songs are built. James Newman brings the percussive bass lines that help hold things together. res cogitans marks a very special point in Plumerai’s career. This is the first time they’ve taken control over their own recording process adding elements like accordion that might be frowned upon by many rock-producers. They recorded the band live with minor overdubs to capture their energy rather than castrating the music with a click-track. This EP makes promises for a great album in 2007. www.silbermedia.comread a recent interview: www.comfortcomes.com | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| New Disc Finally | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 02:03pm 19/05/2006 | | | | | So our new EP 'res cogitans' is available for pre-order and will be out late next month.The pre-orders will ship early june before they're made available thru our new label silber records www.silbermedia.comcan visit our site www.plumerai.com or our myspace site www.myspace.com/plumerai to hear some sounds from it. enjoy. | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| Plumerai @ Pianos Tonight | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 09:00am 09/05/2006 | | | | | Plumerai @ Pianos 158 Ludlow St. NYC Tonight w/ Soundpool and more.www.plumerai.comwww.myspace.com/plumeraiwww.pianosnyc.com | | | | | | Post | | | | | |

| doesn't this make you want to buy one. | | | | 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| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 01:48pm 28/04/2006 | | | | | www.silbermedia.com<>Reviews: The solo project of core Plumerai member Martin Newman, Goddakk is based more in experimentation and ambience than the output of his other projects. In some ways expanding upon and altering Newman's original Goddakk Dos Dalen EP (read my review here), Monument to a Ruined Age, the project's full-length debut on Silber Records is a 9-song affair that's ambient yet highly rhythmic. Blending often unintelligible, whispery, tremolo-processed vocals with melodic loops, noise elements, and generous use of a Fender Bass VI that adds a more organic air to the affair, it's an album that's sonically interesting and compelling. While not straying far from the formula of layered instrumental loops building sonic textures topped by more fluid melodies and vocals, it's the sonic differences in, and interplay of, these elements that separate them. The excellent "Unfortunates", for example, blends a more melodic bass riff and great organ melodies, complete with a chorus, for something far more musical, while the instrumental "Your Guilty Prize" builds melodic layers and transforms into a more noise-based piece throughout its 6 minute duration. The eerie "Human Beings" also stands out, unsettling atmospherics and haunting piano melodies creating a moody spatial void, as does the more pop-structured, ethereal "Crucify You". While sometimes a bit formulaic, Goddakk's Monument to a Ruined Age is, overall, an interestingly textured and emotive foray into experimental ambience with a few dips into ethereal pop territory. Considerably different from Newman's work with Plumerai, it may not appeal to everyone, but will likely prove an interesting listen for experimental/ambient/ethereal fans. ~ Joshua Heinrich, Grave Concerns Goddakk is the solo project of Martin Newman from the band 'Plumerai' and it came to life as he was trying to put together a band that would concentrate on songs with more of a dark and oppressive character, and this CD is the project's debut album. This recording consists of 9 tracks of somewhat varied and sometimes aggressive soundscapes where you can hear many loops and sound effects, giving the music a drony but dynamic character. There are some vocals on some of the songs which have been processed through a tremolo pedal, giving the music an airy and spacelike tone. The best way to describe this music would be like watching lava up close as it makes it's way down a rock formation or a grassy patch. You can see as the lava flows in a slow, repetitive pattern and if paid close attention, you can also see how some of the outer crust starts to dry out and form cracks. This is all of course happening in an atmosphere of intense heat, and that is the way this music feels like. This is not your typical background music, and as a matter of fact it happens very much in the foreground. The music feels intense and unrelenting. It is harsh in nature and although it is noisy sometimes, it is not just noise because these are actually very structured songs. The music does not expand and contract as in minimalistic type of music where the harmonies go through an additive process, but rather just slowly moves along. The only 'odd' track in this CD is track 8 where the mood actually changes drastically. Instead of an industrial feeling, this is indeed a very melodic but sorrow sounding track. An orchestral strings sounding tone carries along with what it seems to be a bass in the background and vocals whispering "crucify you". Imagine if you will as you are in the back seat of a car looking upwards to the blue sky in total silence as you are going to your own funeral! I am sure this music is not for everyone because even when it does not possess any of the qualities of say death or black metal, it still has a very dark character and easily qualifies as very experimental music. It makes for a good interesting listen. ~ Lunar Hypnosis Goddakk got its start as a result of bassist Martin Newman's struggles to get his main project, Plumerai (who, by the way, contributed an excellent track to Silber's 2004 Christmas comp), off the ground. It then dawned on Newman that he was still able to create music on his own, after seeing performances by Pamelia Kurstin and Brian John Mitchell (Remora). Of course, bass guitar-centric music is nothing new — Rothko, among others, were already doing it — but as a former master of the four-string myself, I find something especially beguiling about Newman's harsh, brittle soundscapes. While the press materials draw up comparisons to the likes of Coil and The Legendary Pink Dots, I personally hear something more along the lines of Philip Jeck's rolling, rumbling washes of sound. The album begins with the aptly-titled "Opened", which consists of a low frequency rumbling hum — I suspect some serious guitar pickup abuse was involved here — as lighter, shimmering guitar filigrees bounce back and forth. Newman's voice, shredded and whipped by a bevy of effects pedals, gasps out from time to time, though his treated vocals are barely able to maintain their form under the soundscape's onslaught. "Opened", like all of the other tracks, are by no means the pinnacle of audiophile perfection. They're roughhewn, as if Newman decided that the only possible vessel for capturing his sounds was a battered old 4-track and worn-down magnetic tape. However, the noisy, abrasive quality of the recording actually makes these songs stronger than they might have been otherwise. It imbues them with an otherworldly quality that is both strangely beguiling (given the songs' dark, harsh nature) and rather creepy. However, it's not all just sonic assaults and walls of rumbling, head-rattling guitar noise. Songs such as "Unfortunates" and "Crucify You" are surprisingly melodic, given the otherwise clashing sounds that Newman generates. This is especially true of the former. The sounds as if you're locked inside a church bell tower at midnight, the giant tolling sounds crashing all around you and threatening to cave your head in. However, a wandering organ has something of a structuring effect, while Newman's tremoloed vocals whisper in from the edges. "Crucify You" is easily the most song-like song on the disc, as well as the most poignant, as Newman gasps and intones the titular words with increasing desperation, leaving the listener to wonder just who, exactly, is "you". Newman's bass guitar takes on a cello-like facade, while additional string-like arrangements combine with the recording's haziness, resulting in a song that would sound quite at home on This Mortal Coil's It'll End In Tears. Interestingly, Newman had intended for Plumerai to take on dark, oppressive pop songs a la The Cure's Pornography. I find that somewhat ironic because, while Goddakk's music is much more abstract than anything The Cure ever did outside of "Carnage Visors", there are certain parallels between Monument To A Ruined Age and the Cure's darkest hour. Pornography found the band delving increasingly into heavily rhythmic songs that were much more atmospheric and stream-of-consciousness than anything they'd done up to that point (or since then). I don't find it too hard to imagine that, had Robert Smith gone even farther into that darkly rhythmic, crushing sound than he did, the result might not too dissimilar from songs such as "Unfortunates" or "Crucify You". ~ Jason Morehead, Opus Well-assembled drones, loops, and patterns from Plumerai's Martin Newman working solo. Different from some of the other loop-based artists/projects I've heard, in that Newman adds quite a bit of active material to the loop backgrounds, which keeps the pieces from drifting off into repetitive monotony. The moods here range from pretty to bleak to pretty bleak. Most of the compositions are pure droners, while a couple of them actually have a simple chord change or two. All of them present a nice balance between musical elements and textural sounds. I particularly like the crunchy, scattered-sounding bass guitar on #5, and the sneaky processed vocals that show up from time to time throughout the CD. ~ Max Level, KFJC The same Cure album Pornography is mentioned in the press blurb of Goddakk's debut album 'Monument To A Ruined Age'. Martin Newman was thinking of forming a band that could similar music, but decided to keep it a solo project and be in total control himself. I assume that somewhere along the lines he abandoned the idea of doing songs along the lines of 'Pornography', since 'Monument To A Ruined Age' sounds quite unlike that. Goddak plays around with loops of sounds, played using a six string bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, and vocals, to create songs that are somewhere half way through ambient soundscaping and real songs. The same press blurb mentions influences of Colin Newman (not related, but of Wire fame), The Legendary Pink Dots, and Coil, but I must admit I can only see the influence of the latter. Despite the fact that there are voices used, it's hard to detect them. That makes the idea of popsongs a bit more difficult. Quite 'present' ambient music or quite 'lush' pop-music, and whereas not always the newest or hottest thing in town, it's surely executed with great care and imagination. ~ Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly <> | | | | | | Post | | | | | |